# Why recharge Bovedas by means other than a bowl of water?



## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

Is there a reason people are still recharging their Bovedas in any way other than by simply dropping them in a bowl of distilled water?

I'm still seeing recommendations online for people to let them sit next to wet sponges in bags, to rest suspended above bowls of water on a grid of chopsticks, and other convoluted ideas like that. Seems pretty odd now that it's been shown over and over than they can indeed be fully immersed in water with no ill effects.

Am I missing something? Or do lots of people just like to make things more complex than they need be? I don't understand :help:


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## Drez_ (Jan 30, 2014)

I've never seen it shown over and over that they can just be immersed in water, but I don't look for that type of thing either...Whatever method works for you..


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

oh really? yeah on the reddit cigar forums it's been pretty well established than full-water immersion is the quickest and most sane method, with no reports of problems.


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## Aithos (Jul 13, 2014)

It's pretty simple - the cover is made of a paper based material. Whether it works or not is irrelevant because over time it will ruin the pack. Why would you ever need a fast solution with regards to a boveda? Do you have so few that you don't have two full sets? If they were my primary humidification system I'd have two sets where one is charging while the other is in use. It's just as easy to throw them in a ziplock with a sponge and forget about them until you need so I don't get the argument. In fact, I'd argue the reverse, it takes more effort to put in distilled water fully because you can't just leave them there indefinitely. Time != effort.

edit: forgot to mention, it's also like heartfelt beads, you can submerge them but it isn't recommended. Just because it works doesn't mean the people reporting "no issues" would even be aware of an issue if they had one. You're talking about no perceived issues and that's not the same thing. There are some very knowledgable guys on forums like this when it comes to cigars, when it comes to science, physics or chemistry...I'll take everything I see with a grain of salt.


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## Shemp75 (May 26, 2012)

Bizumpy said:


> oh really? yeah on the reddit cigar forums


HA, now theres a great place to get knowledgable Cigar info. <----------------100% Sarcasm


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

Shemp75 said:


> HA, now theres a great place to get knowledgable Cigar info. <----------------100% Sarcasm


And this place is so much better <--------100% ditto


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## Packerjh (Nov 29, 2009)

I don't see the issue here...do what you want @Bizumpy...you're clearly in the minority here.

I see you're new...welcome to the forum


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## Tobias Lutz (Feb 18, 2013)

Maybe someone with an "intimate" knowledge of the product can shed a little light on whether or not fully immersing a Boveda is a good idea?
@cprsquared


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## [email protected] (Aug 16, 2012)

I have spilt water directly on a packet before and as stated it is paper and dissolves.......good luck with your rational though.


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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

Since I started with the few Bovedas I do use Ive been putting them in a tupperware container with a bowl in the middle to sit the packs in while the rest is filled with DW. Put the lid on it and walk away. Never needed them turned around that fast and usually Im way ahead and have them sitting in ziplocs waiting to be put in use again. About busted one, or at least it looked like it was about to pop by leaving it in too long.


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## Trackmyer (Jun 6, 2014)

I too recharge mine by other means than direct submersion. A tupper with a sponge on a plate soaked in DW sitting in middle of tupper. Boveda packs leaned against inside walls of tupper. 3-4 days recharged no issue. Works great, no color change to pack, and nice squishy feel.


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

[email protected] said:


> I have spilt water directly on a packet before and as stated it is paper and dissolves.......good luck with your rational though.


Um, yeah.

Below is a pic of one that's been sitting in water (note: tap water, not even distilled) for 36 hours and it hasn't "dissolved."

Yes, there is a thin paper-ish outside material that's bound to the patented two-way membrane which makes Bovedas work. And it might show some discoloration where it gets a little soaked (and especially if there are any small creases in it). But it's not meaningful and it goes away once the papery material has dried.

See the second pic below. I've cut open a Boveda pack to educate y'all. The active, patented material is the thin plastic membrane. The outside "paper" is just there to make the product more attractive and allow them to print stuff on it. It's meaningless.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

I'll just keep this short, sweet and unscientific. Never, ever, submerge your Boveda packs in water. ALWAYS recharge them passively. Once the outer aspect of the membrane is saturated, the salts invade it and render it useless. They will ALWAYS "leak"; like placing a wet paper towel on your cigars. If you've ever submerged a pack, or even gotten a portion of the outer membrane wet, toss it.

Trust me, or don't.


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## purepoker (Sep 15, 2011)

Bizumpy said:


> Um, yeah.
> 
> Below is a pic of one that's been sitting in water (note: tap water, not even distilled) for 36 hours and it hasn't "dissolved."
> 
> ...


Dude, why waste time with Boveda? Just use a slice of Apple or potatoe... If they dry out, just give them a good lick and they'll smoke fine. I've even used a recently chewed up wad of bubble gum. Especially good to infuse your sticks with, plus you can stick it up on the lid. And, if all that fails, just take the cigar out of the foil wrapper and run it under tap water in your kitchen sink. Put it in the microwave for a minute or two and it rehydrates. Works wonders.... Don't worry about thanking me for educating you, it's my pleasure!!!


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

purepoker said:


> Dude, why waste time with Boveda? Just use a slice of Apple or potatoe... If they dry out, just give them a good lick and they'll smoke fine. I've even used a recently chewed up wad of bubble gum. Especially good to infuse your sticks with, plus you can stick it up on the lid. And, if all that fails, just take the cigar out of the foil wrapper and run it under tap water in your kitchen sink. Put it in the microwave for a minute or two and it rehydrates. Works wonders.... Don't worry about thanking me for educating you, it's my pleasure!!!


By golly the advice here IS better than reddit!



Herf N Turf said:


> I'll just keep this short, sweet and unscientific. Never, ever, submerge your Boveda packs in water. ALWAYS recharge them passively. Once the outer aspect of the membrane is saturated, the salts invade it and render it useless. They will ALWAYS "leak"; like placing a wet paper towel on your cigars. If you've ever submerged a pack, or even gotten a portion of the outer membrane wet, toss it.


I'm trying to understand that from a physics standpoint. So you're saying that if the "outer aspect" of the plastic membrane gets water on it, it somehow draws salts from the inside of the pack -- that are otherwise unable to cross the membrane -- through the membrane. These salts get "stuck" in the membrane and then somehow allow the H2O inside, which couldn't otherwise flow through the membrance, to flow through the membrane.

I can't say I'm convinced, but I'm not closeminded to the possibility. I'd need a little more scientific evidence of that simply because it sounds implausible. And personally I've never encountered what you describe, nor have I heard of it happening, so...


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## Packerjh (Nov 29, 2009)

purepoker said:


> Dude, why waste time with Boveda? Just use a slice of Apple or potatoe... If they dry out, just give them a good lick and they'll smoke fine. I've even used a recently chewed up wad of bubble gum. Especially good to infuse your sticks with, plus you can stick it up on the lid. And, if all that fails, just take the cigar out of the foil wrapper and run it under tap water in your kitchen sink. Put it in the microwave for a minute or two and it rehydrates. Works wonders.... Don't worry about thanking me for educating you, it's my pleasure!!!


This thread has officially become worthwhile...I just got my first real good laugh of the day! RG for you my friend!


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## LostMason (Oct 13, 2014)

It seems fairly simple to me that the paper covering is there to protect the semi-permeable membrane.That any distortion or 
damage to the paper will lessen the efficancy (spell it yer self) of said membrane,your 65% pack becomes a 70% or worse.
Why not try sitting a pack that has been immersed on a small pile of toilet paper in a baggie with an hygronometer, then try
the same with one recharged passively?Please post the results if you do,I myself dont use Boveda packs,,,,,,yet.


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## SeanTheEvans (Dec 13, 2013)

If this keeps up until I return to my home, I may just post up pics.


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## NorCalJaybird (Sep 2, 2014)

I LIKE EM!!! I build a GREAT little recharge station and it is working KILLER! I am finding that sanitizing the station really well before adding the DW stops any chance of mold. 
Good luck with the soaking OP. Keep us posted. I am not really on board with the soaking but hay man if it works for ya I say ROCK N ROLL!

Cheers
Jay


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## cprsquared (Feb 13, 2013)

Tobias Lutz said:


> Maybe someone with an "intimate" knowledge of the product can shed a little light on whether or not fully immersing a Boveda is a good idea?
> 
> @cprsquared


Hilarious thread to follow, gang! For those that don't know, I'm the Biz Dev Director at Boveda. The can and how of "recharging" Boveda are our most common questions. It's no secret that when you expose Boveda to an RH higher than the RH printed on it, it will absorb moisture. Do we recommend it? We don't for a couple reasons. 1. Recharging adds time, effort and maintenance to something that we designed to eliminate all the work. 2. You can't tell by feel when the Boveda has absorbed everything it can. Boveda have a great capacity for absorption, but like anything, it's not infinite. Once a Boveda has gained about 15% of the starting water weight, it changes the salt/water ratio ever so slightly and will run a bit higher until it gives up enough moisture to bring it back in line. (Incorrect ratio is also why home salt test can be unreliable) 3. We want to sell more Boveda!

Sales hat: 1. Boveda is clearly a value. Using Boveda requires about 60 seconds of your time every 2-4 months and you don't need to ruin many cigars/humidors to wish you'd used Boveda instead of something else. 2. If the difference between using and not using Boveda is the perceived cost, see point 1 and try us. If a method you discover to recharge them is worth your time, do it!

As for submerging, I'd skip that. Boveda absorbs water vapor well. For the sake of explanation, the functional part of Boveda is the film underneath the paper that you see. The paper provides a measure of protection, branding, printing. The film underneath can do the Full Monty and work exactly the same. But keep in mind, Boveda gets a little self-conscious when it's naked. Especially in winter.

Go forth and smoke some cigars, gang! We appreciate everyone's business. Please let me know when we can be more help. Cheers! Charlie


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